Improvement in switch-stands



" Ezl-:KlE-L F. REYNOLDS.

Improv ement in lSwitch Stands. N0. 121,419. Patented Nov28,i871.

UNITED S'rh'rns f 'PATENT OFFICE.

EZEKIEL F. REYNOLDS, OF ST. JOSEPH, MICHIGAN.

IMPROVEMENT IN SWITCH-STANDS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No'. 121,419, dated November 28, 1871.

of St. Joseph, in the county of Berrien and in the State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railway Switch- Stands; and do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawing making a part of this specification, in which- Figure l is a perspective view of one side of my improved device, and Fig. 2 is a like view of the same from the opposite side.

Letters of like name and kind refer to like parts in each of the figures.

My invention has for its object the production of a switch-stand which may be secured in place by the use of the ordinary railway chair spikes alone, and, that while more easy and certain in its operation, shall possess greater securitythan .those ordinarily employed; and it consists principallyin thercombination of a lever pivoted upon the tie, and the quadrant which restricts the motion of said lever, all constructed, arranged, and operated as more particularly hereinafter described.

In the annexed drawing, A represents a lever pivoted at the lower end upon the side of a tie, B, and within a suitable metal housing, O, so as to be capable of motion around 0r upon said pivot. a, and in a vertical plane in a line with said tie, This housing C is arranged upon the side of the tie with one end higher than the other, so that the spikes used in fastening it in place may not be in the same line of the grain ofthe wood, and thereby cause it to split. Secured to or upon the upper face of the tie B, is a quadrant, D,

formed upon a circle of which the pivot a of the leverA is the center, which quadrant extends upward in a line with or against the inner face of said lever, and furnishes a bearing for the same. A short section, D', of a similar quadrant is secured at its ends to said quadrant D, by means of two lugs or lateral projections d, which lugs correspond in thickness to the lever A, and separate said parts D and D sufciently to permit said lever to be contained in the space left between their contiguous faces, while the distance between said lugs is such as to permit said lever to move radially so far only as may be necessary to change the switch-rails. Pivoted to or upon one edge ot' the lever A, between its upper end and the quadrant, is a small hand lever, E, having the form shown, to the lower front side of which is in turn pivoted a bar, F, which from thence passes downward along the edge of said lever A, upon and against which it is loosely held by means oi' a strap, G, that passes around said bar, and is secured upon said lever A. A second strap, H, secured to the lower end of the bar F, and passing around the lever A, insures the relative horizontal positions of sa parts. lI he lower end j' of the bar F is Hatten ed so as to correspond in width to the united width, over all, of the upper edges of the quadrant D and section D', within which edges are cut suitable notches d', that correspond to and receive the lower end of said bar when the same and either of said notches are caused to coincide. This switch-stand as thus constructed is secured in position by the use of half a dozen ordinary railway chair spikes. As thus arranged, it will be seen that by pressing the upper -end of the hand-lever E inward against the lever A the locking-bar F will be raised so as to release its lower end from engagement with the notches, and permit said lever A to be moved to or from the operator within the limits allowed by the lugs d, after which, by releasing the hand-lever, the locking-bar is permitted to again drop into engagement with the corresponding notch. A switchrod, I, pivoted to the lever A immediately above its lower end, and connected with the switchrails in the usual manner, permits the latter to be adjusted to position, laterally, by means of the radial movement of said lever. A padlock, K, passing through an openin gin the locking-bar F immediately below' the strap G, so as to prevent said bar from being raised, and atarget, L, attached to the upper end of the lever A, completes the device, the operation of which has been sufiiciently described hereinbefore.

The especial advantages obtained by this construction, are great convenience in setting up,

and securing in place, strength, durability, and parts being constructed, arranged, and operated substantially as described and shown.

ease and certainty of operation, combined With such simplicity of parts as to enable the device In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have to be furnished at a comparatively small cost. hereunto set my hand this 7th day of July, 1871. Having thus fully set forth the nature and EZEKIEL F. REYNOLDS.

merits of `my invention, what I claim as new Witnesses:

The combination of the lever A, pivoted upon GEO. BRIDGMAN, H

the tie B, and the quadrant D D', the several ENoCH C. HoYT. (120)` 

